L'Eau Commotion Westabout

An (other) attempt to sail non stop Westabout around the world

Vessel Name: L'Eau Commotion
Vessel Make/Model: Northshore 38
Hailing Port: Brisbane Australia
Crew: Bill Hatfield
25 February 2020 | Scarborough Marina, Brisbane
21 February 2020
21 February 2020 | 59 Miles To Go
20 February 2020 | 114 Miles East Of Australia
19 February 2020 | 220 Miles East Of Gold Coast Seaway
19 February 2020 | 262 Miles To Gold Coast Seaway
18 February 2020 | 304 Miles East Of Gold Coast Seaway
18 February 2020 | 328 Miles To Go
17 February 2020 | 423 Miles To Go
17 February 2020 | 423 Miles To Go
16 February 2020 | 505 Miles East Of The Gold Coast
15 February 2020 | 617 Miles To Go
14 February 2020 | 755 Miles To Go
13 February 2020 | 888 Miles To The Gold Coast
12 February 2020 | 1032 Miles To The Gold Coast
11 February 2020 | 580 Miles North Of The Waikato
11 February 2020 | 1167 Miles To Home
10 February 2020 | 1300 Miles To Home
10 February 2020 | 1309 Miles To The Gold Coast
09 February 2020 | 1460 Miles To The Gold Coast Seaway
Recent Blog Posts
25 February 2020 | Scarborough Marina, Brisbane

Thank You

D Day Plus 4 7am Wednesday 26th February 2020

21 February 2020

A Definite Maybe ETA

Day 259 6am Saturday 22nd February 2020 (UTC +10 )

21 February 2020 | 59 Miles To Go

All Good

Day 258 6pm Friday 21st February 2020 ( UTC +10 )

20 February 2020 | 114 Miles East Of Australia

ETA Looking Likely

Day 258 6am Friday 21st February 2020

19 February 2020 | 220 Miles East Of Gold Coast Seaway

Amended ETA

Day 257 6am Thursday 20th February 2020

19 February 2020 | 262 Miles To Gold Coast Seaway

Amended ETA

Day 256 10:30pm Wednesday 19th February 2020 ( UTC+10 )

Calling It Quits

16 February 2018 | 280 Miles West of Cape Horn
12:30pm Friday 16th February 2018 ( UTC-5 ) I was heading for a good looking bay on Isla London when this morning a biggish wave cleaned off the solar panels and wind generator. I had no option but to cut them loose for they were trailing in the water and banging against the WindPilot threatening to damage it. After much soul searching and many cups of hot coffee and a big bowl of porridge I feel there are just too many systems not functioning properly to continue the voyage with a margin of safety. The winds seem to be pretty strong and from the North West for a lot of the time and I would guess the best tactic would be to charge ahead as soon as they ease a bit. The trouble is without a main it is hard to make headway in the left over confused seas and when a fair amount of sail is presented its best not to look at what the mast is doing. In addition I now have no navigation lights or the means to make them, the AIS has just decided to pack it in, three of the four main batteries will not hold or accept charge. Of mi nor concern but still problematic the electric bilge pump is cactus though the two manual ones are OK. Add to this no autopilot, no wind indicator, a VHF that's about to croak and of course the ever present worry about the wobbly mast and a possibly suspect Port side lower shroud - I think I might have seen one broken wire at the top end fitting but can't be sure. Accordingly the plan is to head for the Falklands via Cape Horn. If the systems are still functioning at the Cape I will continue on - if not I might just have enough fuel to motor to Ushuaia. So far I have done nothing to invalidate the attempt but the thought of holding possible rescuers to account for an unseaworthy vessel when the solution of refitting at Stanley is at hand leaves me with little choice. The same would apply to the conscience of any Watch Keeper should I be seen too late or too close to manoeuvre, or read of a missing yacht where they might have been at night.
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L'Eau Commotion's Photos - Main
1 Photo
Created 23 July 2017
1 Photo
Created 23 July 2017
1 Photo
Created 22 July 2017
Northshore 38
1 Photo
Created 14 September 2016
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Created 14 September 2016